Cover image courtesy of Fasig-Tipton
Written by Jessica Martini, TDN America
At A Glance
>> Willis Horton added a filly by Into Mischief (USA) to his racing stable when Case Clay signed the ticket at US$300,000 (AU$420,664) to secure Hip 202 from the draft of Wynnstay.
>> Juddmonte Farm got involved in the Into Mischief mania when manager Garrett O’Rourke went to US$260,0000 (AU$364,636) for a colt offered by Lane’s End.
>> During Monday’s opening session of the October Sale, 248 yearlings sold for US$8,393,800 (AU$11.8 million).
>> The average of US$33,846 (AU$47,455) dipped 14.6 per cent from the 2019 opening session, while the median held steady at US$15,000 (AU$21,030). With 71 horses reported not sold, the buy-back rate was 22.3 per cent. It was 29.3 per cent a year ago.
>> The 2019 October sale cumulative average was US$37,955 (AU$53,228) and the cumulative median was US$13,000 (AU$18,235).
Into Mischief leads way
The Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Yearlings Sale opened on Monday in Lexington with a day of steady trade and a pair of youngsters by Into Mischief leading the way.
“There was solid trade with plenty of activity. There were no dramatic surprises. Certainly lots of horses got traded and there was a legitimate, reasonable marketplace,” Fasig-Tipton President Boyd Browning said.
During Monday’s opening session of the October Sale, 248 yearlings sold for US$8,393,800 (AU$11.8 million). The average of US$33,846 (AU$47,455) dipped 14.6 per cent from the 2019 opening session, while the median held steady at US$15,000 (AU$21,030). With 71 horses reported not sold, the buy-back rate was 22.3 per cent. It was 29.3 per cent a year ago.
The 2019 October sale cumulative average was US$37,955 (AU$53,228) and the cumulative median was US$13,000 (AU$18,235).
With economic and pandemic uncertainties looming across the globe, Archie St. George admitted he had kept expectations for his St. George Sales' consignment in check, but he felt the market was weathering the storm.
“It seems solid,” St. George continued: “We put good horses through the ring and we’ve sold them at all levels. It’s like everywhere, for a nice horse, there is money,” St. George said.
“Just because of everything that’s going on, I came in with low expectations. So certainly the Maclean’s Music exceeded our expectations. But we just tried to be as realistic as we could. The name of the game is selling horses, so we seemed to be doing that today and it seemed to hold solid.”
St. George Sales sent the third highest-priced offering of the day through the ring, with a colt by Maclean’s Music (USA) bringing a final bid of US$240,000 (AU$336,538) from bloodstock agent Mike Ryan.
Filly for Horton
Willis Horton added a filly by Into Mischief to his racing stable when Case Clay signed the ticket at US$300,000 (AU$420,664) to secure Hip 202 on behalf of the owner who campaigned champion Will Take Charge (USA).
Bred by Allen Poindexter, the filly is out of Kid Majic (USA) (Lemon Drop Kid {USA}) and is a full sister to Canadian champion Miss Mischief (USA) and a half to stakes-placed Mind Out (USA) (Tapit {USA}), who sold for US$850,000 (AU$1.2 million) at the 2018 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga sale.
“She is a lovely filly and from good breeders,” Clay said of the filly’s appeal. “She has a good walk and a good physical.
“The whole Horton family has a real love and a passion for racing. So they saw her and they liked her and they took a swing at her.”
Juddmonte strikes
Khalid Abdullah’s Juddmonte Farm got involved in the Into Mischief mania when manager Garrett O’Rourke went to US$260,0000 (AU$364,636) to acquire a colt (Hip 24) by the Spendthrift stallion early in Monday’s first session of the Fasig-Tipton October sale.
The yearling is out of Golden Cropper (More Than Ready {USA}), a half-sister to Rubick, a multiple Group winner and successful young sire at Coolmore Australia. Her third dam, Shantha’s Choice (Canny Lad) produced Redoute’s Choice.
The yearling was bred by Greg Goodman’s Mt. Brilliant Farm, which purchased Golden Cropper for $650,000 at the 2016 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale. He RNA’d for US$375,000 (AU$525,970) at last month’s Keeneland September Yearling Sale and was consigned Monday by Lane’s End.
“We saw him in September and really liked him, as did a lot of other people,” O’Rourke said. “He just had an issue or two and they dropped the reserve for this sale and we decided to take a chance. He’s a lovely colt; looks fast.
Watch: Hip 24 parade
Pretty pinhook
Archie St. George’s Brookstone Farm pinhooking partnership purchased a colt by Maclean’s Music for US$80,000 (AU$112,200) at last year’s Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale.
With the sire’s status on the rise thanks to the Grade 1 exploits of speedy juvenile Jackie’s Warrior (USA) (Maclean’s Music {USA}), the yearling (Hip 342) was well-received in the Fasig-Tipton sales ring on Monday, ultimately selling for US$240,000 (AU$336,500) to bloodstock agent Mike Ryan.
“We bought him in November as a weanling and we aimed him for this Sale,” St. George said. “The sire has really done well with Jackie’s Warrior and the family makes sense with Complexity in the second dam. I’d like to thank Mike Ryan and wish Chad Brown and his team the best of luck with him. Hopefully, most importantly, we see him down the road running in big races.”
Hip 342 is the first foal out of Microburst (USA) (Awesome Again {USA}), a half-sister to Grade 1 winner Complexity (USA) (Maclean’s Music {USA}) and to Graded winner Valadorna (USA) (Curlin {USA}).
Watch: Hip 342 parade
Tacher busy
Puerto Rican owner Marc Tacher, who is represented by runners across the US, purchased four yearlings during Monday’s first session of the October sale, led by a US$200,000 (AU$280,540) son of the late Arrogate (USA) (Hip 91). Consigned by Peter O’Callaghan’s Woods Edge Farm, the dark bay colt is out of multiple stakes winner Hero’s Amor (USA) (Street Hero {USA}).
“I liked everything. I liked the conformation. He’s a beautiful horse to look at,” Tacher said. “He’s obviously by Arrogate, so I really liked his pedigree. He looked like a two-turn horse, a Classic-distance horse. We came to see him quite a few times and to vet him. We were really high on that horse.”
Tacher also purchased a colt by Keen Ice (USA) (Hip 252) and a filly by Daredevil (USA) (Hip 351) both for US$100,000 (AU$140,225) and a colt by Practical Joke (USA) (Hip 127) for US$70,000 (AU$98,185).
Point Of Entry pays off
Ocala horsewoman Michelle Redding partnered with Reiley McDonald and Stori Atchison to acquire a filly by Point Of Entry (USA) for US$13,000 (AU$18,230) at last year’s Keeneland November Sale and the investment paid dividends when the yearling (Hip 60) sold for US$160,000 (AU$224,400) to Selective LLC.
“She’s always been a really nice filly,” Redding said. “She has always had a tremendous, beautiful, catlike walk. She is just a big, physically well-developed filly. She’s very smart with a lot of class about her."
Of the youngster’s weanling price tag, Redding said: “We were able to get her bought just in a soft time in the market. Sometimes horses slide through the cracks. She was definitely one that was sliding through and we were lucky enough to be standing there and got her bought.”
The yearling is out of Gypsy Princess (USA) (Unbridled’s Song {USA}), a daughter of multiple Graded stakes winner Buffythecenterfold (USA) (Capote {USA}). She was consigned by McDonald’s Eaton Sales.
Watch: Hip 60 parade
